Overview
Celebrate Outreach! realized that building tiny homes for people at risk of homelessness would be a way to reduce the number of unsheltered people in St. Petersburg.
In Spring of 2016 Celebrate Outreach! formed a collaboration with the University of South Florida School of Architecture & Community Design to build a Tiny Home for a Veteran facing homelessness.
Internationally renowned research professor, Josue Robles Caraballo, taught a summer design studio challenging his students to create a design for a tiny home that was sustainable, easy to maintain, accessible, and promoted privacy keeping in mind that the future resident might be suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The winning design, by Yesenia Vega, went through the approval process with the City of St. Petersburg, resulting in a 650 square foot house.
Thanks to the City’s Disposition of Foreclosed Properties program, Celebrate Outreach! obtained, through lease, its first property located at 3516 3rd Avenue South. Thanks to the contributions of 200 donors, 40 volunteers and 18 pro bono contractors, the completed home was officially dedicated on July 5, 2022 to new homebuyer US Marine Corps Veteran Justin Keding,
In early 2022, Professor Josue passed the architect’s baton to colleague Nicole Peterika, AIA, President of
Mag 4, Inc. Nicole has combined her architectural expertise with a passion for sheltering our most vulnerable community to develop an updated plan for the 2nd tiny home, to be located at 4119 12
th Ave. S.
This and future tiny homes constructed by Celebrate Outreach! will be homeownership opportunities for households at risk of homelessness but working to stabilize their financial situation to become homeowners. Applicants must meet the City’s income restricted guidelines and be eligible for a mortgage. Opportunities for Downpayment Assistance and Homeowner Education are available. For further information on acquisition and/or education , please contact
info@celebrateoutreach.org
For more information on becoming a homeowner of the current Tiny Home under construction, please click on FAQ to Home Ownership.
